Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-12-31
NEW YEARS IN THE NORTHWEST.
Experience During Winter Holidays at
Fort Totten, Dakota.

Experience During Winter Holidays at
Fort Totten, Dakota.
BY j. II. BEADLE.
1t was my good fortune not many years
ago to pass the winter holidays at Fort
Totten-better known as Devils lake, d.
T. Every day was full of novelty, for
this is one Of the most interesting little
communities in the cold northwest. -Four
different interests center there; the little
population represents two great races,
and two divisions of each, and the place
has three names, according to the depart
ment of the one who names it. First, It
is DEVILS lake. being at the south end
of that peculiar inland sea; but as there
is a railroad town of that name on the
north side of the lake, this designation is
becoming obsolete. Then it Is Fort Tot
ten," as the military post is called-one
of the best built, handsomest and best
managed of Uncle Sans frontier posts.
It is also the tsSisseton and Wahpeton
Reservation Of Sioux Indians" and last
and best it is known in the church record
as the site of the mission school and home
kept by the Gray Nuns of Montreal. And
this was the part of it which made the
holidays so interesting.
Christmas is religious anniversary at
the mission; but New Years Is @ time of
Joyous cheer both there and ut the mill
tary post Early on the first day Of the
year the officers come over to give us the
compliments of the season at the agency
hotel, and little later we return the
visit The mercury is only 10 degrees be-
low zero; there is not cloud in the sky,
and the parade ground is q dazzling white
as we 90 the rounds The soldiers are all
in their best, with their guns and bayo-
nets at the brightest for the new year,
and the morning parade is rare novelty
white frosted mustaches, solid over
coats, bright weapons glittering in the
morning sun attest a clean start for the
year. After noon the officers wives ''re-
ceive,n and they know how to make a
more than ''Knickerbocker New Years."
then we have an evening of merriment,
during which the mercury outside falls 10
degrees, and going home / freeze the tip
of one ear. But it is happy New Years
to all. The next night u dance at the
fort closes the festivities for this time.
From Fort Totten to the mission build
ings is little more than half q mile along
a ridge over which the wind whistles mer-
rily, having had all the broad plains
thence to the Rocky mountains in which
to gain momentum. Between fort and
mission stand the cluster of buildings con-
tanning the agency store, United States
signal service Office, the residence and
Office of Maj. Cramsie, Indian agent, and
others. To add to the interest, the snow
is foot deep and dry as flour almost,
and during all the holiday week the Their
mometer does not even once rise to zero!
''Thirty- four below is the coolest, for,
as the genial gentleman who runs the
government weather assures us, "This is
an uncommon mild winter; last year it
was 48 dogs. below, and never got up
within hail1ng distance of zero" Still
the hardy Sioux keep up their fishing on
the lake, cutting great holes in the ice,
and the weather beaten mail carrier never
misses his tri-weekly trip across the frozen
lake to DEVILS Lake station. Thence
also come a hilarious party of youths
and majdens to the New Year dance
given by the officers of the fort;
and to one from q southern cline it is
worth a long trip to see the sleighs 'dis-
charge freight at the door of the dancing
hall. There is no distinction of sex as
they step out, for the ladies wear the uni
verSal buffalo Overcoat-woolen goods
will not turn such winds as they have
here-the flap turns up over the head and
the skirts brush the snow. They have
ridden fifteen miles in an atmosphere SO
degs. below the freezing point; but when
they get their wraps off and into the
warm and brightly lighted hall, how clear
skinned and rosy they do lookl No ma
laria here. Tomorrow they will ride
back across the lake, though the mercury
may have gone down 10 degs., laugh and
chatter all the way, and think little of It,
It's all in getting used to it; and people
are quite as fond of social gayeties in the
cold north as in the sunny south.
But my special business is to investi-
gate the Indians. Maj. Cramsie gives me
all the aid he can, and Sisters Page and
Franklin, the principal teachers, put the
classes of little Indians through their ex-
ercises for my benefit. The chapel con-
nected with the nission school is beau
tiful building; the assembly room will
seat, should judge, 600 worshipers; and
it is point of honor, so to speak, with
the Catholics to have all the sacrosancta
of the altar and pictures on the walls as
elegant as in any parish church of the
same rank. And how pleasant il is to see
all this room filled with partially civilized
Indians on Christmas evei In front are
the pupils Of the school, and it is evident
at glance that they "take to- Christmas
quite as joyfully as their little white con-
temporaries. Christmas morning there
is high mass, then the Christmas feast and
the afternoon of general joyousness. Be
it remembered that the United States
draws the line on religious instruction,
and while it pays too little for the school
it pays nothing for the church; so the ten
sisters who run this mission have to make
their limited allowance as teachers go u
good ways, helped out by whatever
charitable people give. Yet they have
done a wonderful work, and out of the
940 Indians on this reservation they have
as large a proportion in school as the
average white community. And for all
this, all the agency work and all the EN-
ployes' salaries the United States pays but
$4,000 year. s'The Gray Nuns of Mon
treal' are an order of sisters, nominally
Sisters of Charity, but devoted to teaching
Indians; and devoted members Of the order
may be found through all this cold north
west from the Niobrara to the Athabasca
basin. Maj. Cramsie is a warm advocate
of the doctrine that the Sioux can be
thoroughly civilized ''if government will
only give time enough and supply them
with schools and good farming fmple
ments.n Now that the military post is
no longer needed here, he urges the gov
ernmen. to make the fort buildings .
great training school for the children of
all the 20, 900 Sioux in Dakota, and l
heartily indorse his recommendation.
And while / hold a farewell talk with
him, Jonathan Roberts, the fat and genial
mail carrier, announces that the sleighing
is good, the mercury only degs. below
zero, and consequently this ''lovely Janu-
airy day. is my best day to go with him
across the frozen water to Devils Lake
City, on the st. Paul and Manitoba rail-
road.
Several European specialists have made
the curious observation that acute rheum-